Carl Eugene Salas was sworn in as the interim councilmember for District 3 during Tuesday's San José City Council meeting.
Salas is the co-founder and principal of Salas O’Brien, an engineering and technical consulting services firm, according to the company webpage.
“I just want to serve,” Salas said. “This is a huge opportunity for me to serve my district and I love my district.”
The district’s seat on the council was left vacant because of the incarceration of former councilmember Omar Torres who was arrested for charges of child sex abuse in November 2024 according to a Nov 19. 2024 Spartan Daily article.
During the council meeting, Salas won in a six to four simple majority vote against Director of Advocacy for Racial Justice at San José State University, Jahmal Williams.
San José mayor Matt Mahan cast his vote for Salas, had words of admiration for him after delivering the news of his victory.
“I have spent more time working with Carl on projects in the community,” Mahan said. “ I have known him as an incredibly pragmatic problem solver who has handled large budgets, managed large teams and made very difficult decisions.”
Like Mahan, San José vice mayor Pam Foley also spoke highly of Salas and explained why she also cast her vote for him.
“He is one of the kindest and most generous people I know,” Foley said. “He and his wife help fund the Christmas tree giveaway every year and have helped out where they can financially with the district.”
Salas, a long-time resident of San José, voiced to the council that he is dedicated to restoring trust back into District 3.
“I’m bringing 50 years of experience both in community and in business,” Salas said. “I really want to make this city even greater than it is and I want to leave District 3 with a stable and trusted feeling in three or six months.”
While talking about his experiences in San José, the newly sworn-in councilmember spoke about the importance that the city has had on his life.
The candidates went through an interview process where they were asked various questions by different members of the council. During this process, Salas assured the audience that he had pure intentions when it came to gaining this short-term seat.
“We’re all tempted often about money, about power and about influence, but I’ve found that I believe the more you give the more you get,” Salas said. “I’m really looking forward to serving and I’m not looking forward to gaining.”
The process took almost three and a half hours for the council to interview and vote for a candidate.
Salas is scheduled to officially hold the seat starting next month, Feb. 4, according to a Jan. 28 article from San José Spotlight.
While Salas holds this seat, the race for the District 3 council will still be going as the election is set for Apr. 8, according to the same article.
The candidates for the long-term seat are Gabby Chavez-Lopez, Philip Dolan, Adam Duran, Matthew Quevedo, Irene Smith, Anthony Tordillos and Tyrone Wade, according to a Jan. 14 article from San José Inside.
But for now, Salas has a few months to serve the district and fill that empty seat.
“I’m here for two reasons,” Salas said. “Obviously and clearly we need to restore trust in District 3 and have communication at the council level.”
